New Delhi, Feb 18 The high court on Wednesday sought the Delhi government's stand on a PIL to ensure regular audit of accounts of recognised private unaided schools in the national capital.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to the Delhi government and granted it six weeks to file its response to the plea by NGO Justice for All.
The petitioner said the authorities were in violation of the statutory mandate under the Delhi School Education Act for regular audit of accounts of recognised private unaided schools.
The action of the authorities, the plea said, resulted in a complete lack of financial transparency and accountability, which allowed private schools to indulge in rampant commercialisation of education and profiteering by levying exorbitant and arbitrary fees.
The plea said that the audit of accounts was the only effective tool to ensure that the funds collected from students were being utilised for the betterment of the school and were not siphoned off or diverted for personal gain.
"It is a matter of record that even after conducting inspections of over 1,624 private unaided schools, the Respondent No. 2 (CAG) has failed to conduct a single audit of their accounts, thereby rendering the entire exercise of inspection futile," the petition said.
"In the last two years alone, many private schools have increased their fees by up to 200%, causing immense financial hardship and panic amongst parents. This situation has been exacerbated by the decision of the Respondent No. 1 (Delhi government) to withhold the operation of the newly legislated Delhi Fee Regulation Act, 2025, for the current academic session, thereby removing a crucial layer of protection against such exploitation," it added.
The matter would be heard next on April 22.
